Game



.March19,1929. GSMITH V Y 1,706,329

GAME Filed Aug.29, 1927 INVENTOR.

OLDWIH 8mm ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 19, 19529,

V UNITED STATES PATEhT GOLDWIN SMITH, or TAMPA, FLORIDA.

GAME.

Application filed August 29, 1927. Serial No. 218,192.

The invention relates to improvements in games particularly adapted to be played indoors similar to the mechanical base ball games described in my application for United States Patent, Serial Number 189,948, filed May 9, 1927. a

The obj ects of the invention are to provide simple, economical and durable means,

7 whereby the game of base ball may be practically simulated'while the players thereof are indoors; to provide means whereby games by various rulesmay be played by players thereof who pay the owner or operator thereof for the privilege at places of public amusement, as carnivals, fair grounds, amusement parks, and the like; to provide means adapted to interfere with-the normal movement of the ball, during playingof said game, for the purpose of enabling only the skillful and practiced players of the game to control the directional movement of said'ball with the object in view of dislodging hinged characters or depositing the ball in pockets located 1 in a stationary field whereby the most skillful earn the highest score and consequently is, the successful participant of the several play- I and practiced player. is usually adapted. to

ers of said game. I

Other objects will be apparent from the hereinafter description.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the variousparts and elements, and in the details of the construction, as set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view ofthe invention;

Fig. 2-is a section taken on the line 2-2 in-Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is .a section taken on the line 33.

in Fig. 1, with parts broken away; and 1 Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

In the preferred construction of the invention I provide the circulartable 1 having the centrally disposed upwardly extending projection 2 integrally formed therewith. From the projection 2 the top 3 of the table slopes upwardly and outwardly whereby when the table is in stationary position a sphere or ball is adapted, by the force of downwardly toward the respective pockets,

the gravitation, to be carried from any point on the table toward the projection 2.

The outer edge 4 of the table is curved upwardly for purposes hereinafter fully explained. t

Fixed to the lower side 5, at the center of the table 1, as by bolts 6, is the plate 7 having inte rally connected therewith the downwardly extending spindle8 having the bevel gear 9 suitably secured to its lower end 10. Thelower end of the spindle extendsdownwardly from the gear andjis received in the bearing 11 of the upper horizontally extending arm 12 of the U-shape support 13 having its lowerhorizontally extending arm 14 fixed, as by the bolts 15, to the circular plate '16 which is suitably secured to the innerends 17 of the brace rods lShaving their outer ends 19 secured, as by thumb screws 20, to the hori-' zontally extending flange 21 integrally formed with the vertical side walls 22 of the cylindrical casing or container 23 having its upper edges 24 curved inwardly. V

For the purpose of providing manually op erative means for rotating the table 1, the

hand crank 25 is secured to .the outer end 25 of the shaft 26 whichprotrudes through the hole 27 in the wall of the container. Suitably secured to the inner end 28 of the shaft 26 is the bevel gear 29 meshing with the bevel gear "lower ends secured, as by the bolts 30, to

the adjacent brace rod 18. I

Surrounding the table 1, and positioned with its inner edge 31 adjacent the outer edge 4 of the table 1, and in horizontal alignment therewith, is the rectangular stationarycirclet or field 32 having the depressions or pockets 33, 34, 35, and 36 positioned at the corners of the outer edge 37 of the top plate 32 of the circlet. The pockets are separated by 90, circ'umferentially of the table, to represent home plate, first base, second base, and third base, respectively, of the invention. The pockets are in a horizontal plane. Intermediate the pockets 33 and 34, 34 and 35, 35 and 36, 36 and 33, are the ridges 37, 38, 39, and .40 which extend from the outer edge to the inner edge of the circlet. The ridges are equi-distant elevated from the position of the pockets 33, 34, 35 and 36. The surface 41 ofthe circlet intermediate the ridges slope ried, by the force of gravitation, into the rellO spective pockets 34, 35, 36 and 32, located intermediate the ridges between which the ball vis positioned. The ridges are spaced equidistant from the adjacent pockets.

The circlet is secured in position as by the flange 42, integral with the horizontally extending plate 43, being bolted to the lnner surface of the walls 22 of the container 23,

whereby the complete mechanism including the circlet 32, table 1, gears 9 and 29, spindle 8, shaft 26 and brace rods 18 may be manually removed from the cylindrical container 23 after the thumb screws 20 are removed from threaded engagement with the flange 21 of the walls of the container, and the brace rods 18.

Hingedly connected with the outer edge portion 44, of the top 32, of the circlet are the spaced apart characters 45 which may be animals, miniature automobiles and controllers of traffic, variouscolored balls, pins, val.

uable merchandising articles, or letters of the alphabet or numerals, where the game 1s utilized for purposes of educating children, and

the like. A ball or sphere positioned upon the table 1 is adapted by the centrifugal force of the rotating table to be forced outwardly of the table and over the curved edge 4 onto the circlet 32 and into one of the pockets 33, 34, 35 or 36, or the ball may contact one or more of the characters knocking them from the upward to the downward position after which the ball is adapted to pass between the circlet and the walls of the con- I tainer upon the plate 43 of the circlet from where the ball is adapted to roll down the inclined surface of the plate through the hole 46 into the compartment 47 of the bin 48 from v proximity to each other for the particular reason that an important advantage of the invention is that numerous players may seat themselves around the game and after one of the players has completed his turn of operating the crank, the casing 23 may be rotated upon its legs 50 (secured to the bottom of the casing) to position the crank in close proximity to the person whose turn is the next to play, or if desirablethe casing may be stationary and the players may each operate the crank at the same position.

If desirable, suitable manually operative mechanism may be. provided for delivering one or more ofthe balls from the bin 48 upon the insertion of acoin is suitable mechanism,

whereby the game maybe played by persons who pay for the privilege without the necessity of the owner supplying an attendant to operate the game.

The playing of three balls may represent an inning for one player whereby the usual nine innings of a ball game will comprise playing a total of twenty-seven balls by each player to complete a game. It is quite apparent that the game may be played as a miniature base ball game or by numerous rules and regulations which may be devised from time to time by the manufacturers, sellers and usersof the game. 7

An important object of the players of the invention is: to manipulate the crank 25 so that aball will leave the edge 4 of the table 1 at a point where the ball will be carried into one of the pockets 33-, 34, 35, or 36 ,-or"

contact one or more of the characters 45..

Suitable rules maybe formulated for eountmg the points gained by players who aresuccessful in manipulating the crank 25 to cause the balls to knockdown the characters 45or.-

enter the pockets.- At the completion of a game the points gained by a play-erare added and his bemg the successful participant of lit) the game, of course, dependsupon whether I he has earned a greater number of points than a all other players. I

The projection 2, at the centerof the table 1, as well as the curved edge 4 of the table,

interferes with the normalmovement of the ball, whereby skilled players are more adept;

. embodiment, is the most "efficient and practicable, yet realizing that the conditions. con current with the adoption of the device will necessarily vary, I desire toemphasize the) fact that: changes may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my. invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In" a device of the class described, a retatable table havingitsfouter edge curved upwardly, an upwardly extending projection at the centrally disposed top of said table, a stationary field surrounding the table and having a plurality of pockets therein to re-; ce1ve said ball, characters surrounding said field: and movably mounted thereon, and manually operative means to rotate the table and said projection to drive said ball toward and into said field, whereby skillof the players of said game determines whether said ball dislodges said characters or is received by one of said pockets.

2. In a device of theclass described, a rotatable table, having its outer edge curved upwardly, a field surrounding the table and having a plurality of pockets therein, a plurality of characters hingedly connected with the outer edge of said field and manually operative means to rotate said table.

3. In a device of the class described, a rotatable table, a rectangular stationary circlet surrounding the table and having a plural-, ity of equi-distant spaced apart pockets in its corners, a plurality of characters movably connected with the outer edge of said field and manually operative means to rotate the table.

4. In a device of the class described, rotatable means having an upwardly extending projection integral therewith, a field surrounding said means and having pockets therein, a plurality of hinged characters at the outer edge of said field and manually operative means to rotate said first mentioned means, whereby said ball is adapted to be driven from said first mentioned means to ward said field, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a device of the class described, a rotatable table, 'a projection at the top of saidtable, a stationary field surrounding saidtable and having a plurality of pockets at its outer edge to receive said ball, a plurality of spaced apart characters surrounding said circlet except at points adjacent said pockets, manually operative means to rotate the 'table and said projection to drive said ball to rotate said table to prevent movement to said ball to the center of said table.

7 In a base ball game, a container, brace rods fixed to said container, a plate fixed to the inner ends of said rods, a'support fixed to said plate and having a bearing therein, a circular table having a projection at its'center and having its surface sloping downwardly towards said projection, a spindle having its lower end rotatably mounted in said bearings, the upper end of said spindle fixed to the cen ter of said table, a manually operative crank, gearing connections between said crank and said spindle, whereby rotation of said crank is adapted to rotate said table, a circlet around said table and having a plurality of pockets in its outer edge, the surface of said circlet adj acent said pockets sloping downwardly thereto, a plurality of characters on said circlet except at said pockets, a casing surrounding said circlet at points spaced apart therefrom whereby a ball driven from said'table over said characters is adapted to drop between said casing and said circlet, a bin in said casing, and a trough under said pockets and sloping downwardly toward said bin, whereby balls driven between said circlet and said casing are received by said trough and directed to said bin.

8. In a ball game device, a rotatable table having a top sloping downwardly toward the center thereof, av projection at said center, a circlet surrounding said drum and having a plurality of pockets therein representing home plate, first base, second base, and third base, ridges in said circlet intermediate said pockets whereby the upper surface of said circlet adjacent said pockets slopes downwardly toward said pockets, a plurality of characters hingedly connected with said circlet, a casing surrounding said circlet, man

ually operative means to rotate said table whereby when said ball is placed upon the top of said table the manual operation of said means is adapted to cause said ball to roll toward said circlet andrbe carried into one of said pockets, or engage one of said charac- GOLDWIN SMITH.

. ters. 

